Tacloban City, Leyte – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said that it is now sorting the damaged relief goods that were recently transported here from Cebu City on board MV Carmen.

The food packs, which contain rice, canned goods, noodles and coffee, were damaged in transit.

However, there are several relief goods that were inadvertently released to several local government units (LGUs) in the province.

They were immediately advised to put on hold the distribution of these goods.

“Because of the urgency of the situation, the condition of the goods upon receipt was not determined, thus, we are requesting the LGUs to report to us any damaged goods received from this shipment and we will replace them,” DSWD Assistant Secretary Vilma Cabrera, who currently oversees the relief operations in Eastern Visayas, said.

Asst. Sec. Cabrera explained that once the sorting of goods has been completed, the Department “would be able to determine the volume of damages and will salvage items still good for consumption.”

The damaged goods will be reported to the Commission on Audit (COA) prior to disposal.

She also added that the situation does not affect the entire relief distribution in the region as there are enough goods coming in from other regions.